Of Wannabe Taxidermy
by ladyamalphia
Summary: Upon being left alone, the machine glittering its newness into her eyes, she couldn't help but notice how familiar that shade of blue seemed. SonAmy oneshot!


**A/N: **:D Hello again everyone! Ahem… here's my SECOND story uploaded here on fanfic :), though it's much shorter than Child's Play… which you should check out and review (hint-hint). But I'm not here to advertise, so I'll get back to this story. I don't have too much to say… buahaha… If you've read this far, you are legally bound to read the rest. Err… that's right (shifty eyes) even ask my lawyer… who is… ahem… _not_ an inanimate manikin. I actually got the idea for this story from my five-year-old sister, Madeline. Where other littler girls are obsessed with barbies (which she also adores) she _loves _sonic. Like… she makes me play pretend, and be Tails so she can be Cosmo. She also loves to be Amy… And that's where I got the idea of this plot. This is dedicated to her!!! Though I doubt she'll ever read it 0.o…Thanks for reading;)

Oh, and I tried looking it up, but I couldn't find how old Amy was in Sonic CD (when Sonic first rescued her). So, let's say she's… eleven :) That makes Cream… five? And you can do the math to find the other ages x.x

* * *

I don't own a single character in this story :). :D There, now that was painless. Not to mention short and suhweet.

* * *

Clean, icy water gushed into the white bathtub. A pink hedgehog stripped out of her red dress, sticky from sweat. Amy Rose slid into the clear water with a sigh of relief. For five silent moments, she soaked her slender form in the refreshing bath with her eyes gently closed. Outside, the August sun glared down with full power from a cloudless sapphire sky. The only thing more obnoxious and overpowering than the stifling heat was the mounting boredom. Not a soul could be seen outside, and Amy knew everyone would be escaping the heat at Tails' air conditioned house. However, she was new to this area and didn't want to intrude upon her newfound friends.

As she began to get chilled, after almost ten minutes of soaking, she lifted herself out of the water in remorse, knowing that a few moments after she got dried and redressed she would yearn to return to the icy pool. With a sigh, she toweled off and pulled on her damp dress and boots. Her bathroom, already lacking space, seemed to shrink in the muggy heat. Amy casually walked into the hallway. The house still wasn't completely furnished, and the empty living room seemed even lonelier in comparison to the claustrophobic bathroom. With a smile, the hedgehog observed the shabby furniture which had been graciously donated to her by Cream and her mother. Looking on the homely coffee table, Amy noticed a bright piece of orange paper decorated with a crayon drawing of a smiling stick-bunny. The hedgehog smiled, picking it up and reading the stereotypically cute lettering.

"Garage sale tomorrow." she muttered, feeling a pang of guilt as she imagined a glassy eyed Cream sitting amongst a pile of unwanted stuffed toys, slathered in sun lotion. With a resigned sigh, Amy knew her conscious would never let her let this happen to the people who had been so generous to her. Filling a bottle with ice water, she set outside. As she opened the door, a wave of sickening humidity met her.

Though the walk was reasonably short, the heat made it feel hours long.

"Amy!" Cream squealed, jogging over to the hedgehog as she turned the corner. The bunny grabbed her new customers' hand and dragged her towards a surprisingly large mountain of clothes and stuffed animals.

"Wow, Cream!" Amy said, smiling at the beaming rabbit.

"I was scared no one would come!"

"Of course I came."

"Amy!" Vanilla said happily, carrying a tray of iced tea. Amy smiled at her, and walked toward a pile of assorted girls toys. As she casually browsed, she tripped over an old broom with a stuffed horse head.

"Oh! Amy!" Cream cried, running over to the hedgehog's side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thanks." Amy said as she sat back up, brushing away some of the grass ground into a round, green stain which stood out like a light bulb on the red material of her dress. There was a long, ragged tare in the spot where her knee had made contact with the lawn.

"Oh, dear," Vanilla said apologetically, placing the broom aside.

"It's no problem." Amy laughed. It was nice to have this motherly concern directed toward her.

"I insist… Come inside, and I'll sew it up for you right now."

Cream grabbed Amy's hand and led her through the small front door. Past an open doorframe just to the right of the cozy entrance way stood a tiny room with a surprisingly high ceiling. It homed no furniture except a desk and two white wooden chairs. The walls contained several shelves each, which held clear plastic boxes, all labeled neatly. On the desk sat an expensive-looking sewing machine.

"Cream, please go and grab Amy a bath robe. Amy, if you could go and get changed into it and bring me your dress, I'll mend it."

Cream nodded and left the room, followed by Amy. The bunny led her into a sparklingly clean bathroom with pink accents. On tiptoe, Cream pulled a fuzzy, soft pink bathrobe off of a hook on the wall with a smile. The younger girl left, closing the door behind her as Amy thanked her. After stripping out of the dress, she noticed an oozing scrape on her knee. As soon as she noticed the cut, she felt the pain. Wincing, she pulled a few tissue squares out of a little box decorated with sea shells. Dabbing at the laceration, she slipped into the soft robe.

Dress in hand, she returned to the sewing room to find Vanilla explaining the use of one of the many silver knobs covering the sewing machine to Cream.

"Ready, Amy?" Vanilla asked warmly, gently taking the garment. Amy nodded, watching carefully as the lightning fast needle bobbed in and out of the material as easily as if it was water. When the rabbit finished, Amy was amazed at the seamlessness of the miniscule stitches.

"Here you are, dear." Vanilla said passively, as if this amazing recovery was extremely mediocre.

"That's great! Thank you so much!" Amy said gratefully, stroking the almost undetectable seam. "I wish I could sew that well. But I should get going now…"

"Oh, are you interested?" Vanilla asked, getting to her feet. She stepped onto a neat little folding ladder to reach one of the higher shelves. She carefully pulled out a second, smaller sewing machine concealed by a baby blue cover.

"You can take this." She said, reaching back up to another high shelf, this time taking down one of the plastic boxes.

"Oh no," Amy protested. "Don't worry about it…"

Vanilla only shook her head and handed the box to Amy, and placing the machine on top.

"I insist."

"But-"

"Don't worry. Take them."

Amy opened her mouth to protest, but both rabbits were ushering her outside.

"Thank you for coming Amy!" Cream giggled "Goodbye."

"Err… bye…" Amy said, still confused, as the bunny closed the door. Amy 0shrugged and, deep in thought, made her way home. When she arrived, she placed both items on the kitchen counter. Looking closer at the plastic box, she noticed that it was filled with material of assorted colours, spools of thread, and a jar of buttons. She slid the cover off the sewing machine and set it aside. The machine itself was a matching shade of powder blue, and appeared to be completely flawless and brand new. Opening the box, she took its contents out piece by piece and, treating her new treasures with great care. She noticed that the colourful spools of thread were all organized by confusing labels, reading from "white 000" to "black 999". When she reached a soft material a shade of rich cobalt, she paused and stared at it. The strong colour reminded her of Sonic. Even his name sent a shiver down her spine. She fell into a deep daydream, picking out his colour pallet from the assorted cloths, buttons and threads. After a moment, she had sifted out two emerald green glass buttons, and placed them on snowy white cloth which felt like silk. She picked out a peachy-beige square of material and folded it up to place it upon the blue. A black button completed the picture as a nose. Though it was made of nothing but folded cloth placed together, she saw Sonic's proud face, and though she captured his essence well, considering the circumstances.

With a spasm of excited inspiration, Amy ran to the kitchen to grab her scissors and a bag of uncooked rice. Taking a seat beside her supplies, Amy pulled an instruction booklet from a compartment in the sewing machine and set to work.

* * *

Nearly an hour and a half had passed before Amy finished. The final product was a crude stuffed version of Sonic, with an embroidered sly smile upon his face. The seams were uneven and frayed, and one eye was bigger than the other, but Amy felt a surge of affection for her rice-stuffed friend. She cut a stray thread. This final snip of the scissors seemed oddly significant and conclusive. Gazing into the blank eyes of her new toy, she picked him up and held him in a hug, imagining that he was doing the same. She had a sudden urge to go and see the real Sonic, but simply couldn't work up the energy to make the scorching hike to Tails' house. Instead, she returned to imaging that her real hero was holding her instead of the plush version. Her fantasy was interrupted by a quiet knock at the door. With a sigh, Amy got to her feet and carefully placed the stuffed Sonic on the coffee table and answered it to greet a panting Cream.

"You forgot Orange 532." She said, out of breath, handing Amy a spool of reddish-orange thread.

"Thanks, Cream. You want to come inside for a drink?" The hedgehog asked, noticing Cream's fatigue. The bunny nodded eagerly.

"Yes, please."

She followed Amy to the kitchen, but stopped as she passed the living room, which was really more of a living-section.

"It's Mr. Sonic!" She squealed, picking up the doll. Blushing, Amy hurried over with two glasses of icy water.

"Err… It's nothing."

"No! It's Mr. Sonic… See? It's even got his eyes. It's really nice. Did you make it?"

"Uh… yeah." Amy said in surprise. She had secretly thought the stuffy had a tattered face that only a mother could love. "Thanks!"

"Do you have any more?" Cream asked eagerly, stroking the doll's ears. Amy shook her head, still in shock.

"But…" Amy said thoughtfully, staring at the stuffy "I could make you… if you like…"

Cream hopped up to her feet, eyes wide in excitement.

"Yes, please!"

"Um… Alright… I'll do that and bring it to you tomorrow… around noon."

"Thank you!" She squealed, glancing at a clock on the wall. "Oh! But I've got to go. Bye Amy!"

Amy nodded a feeble goodbye, unsure what she had gotten herself into. Her sewing skills were still average at best, and she had a feeling that it was only through fluke and beginners luck that the Sonic doll looked anything like his namesake. She returned to the box of material, sifting through to find anything that reminded her of Cream. After a moment, she found a pallet of browns and whites she was fairly happy with. Planning the doll in the same way as she did Sonic's. With more ease than the first time, she cut the cloth apart and sewed it together until she recognized Cream's smiling face. It took another hour to perfect her, but Amy was feeling proud of her work. She sewed chocolate brown buttons on for eyes, completing the doll. Tying the final thread, Amy regarded the finished product. Placing it aside, she checked the clock, surprised to see that it was nearly ten 'o clock. With a yawn, she made her way to bed, Sonic in her arms. As she settled into the small but extremely cozy bed, dropping off to sleep with the blue hedgehog beside her.

When Amy awoke, she rolled sluggishly onto her back with a yawn, staring out the window at the sun, burning brightly high in the blue sky. She could see ominous gray clouds looming on the horizon, hoping that a proper storm would relieve the area of the gripping heat wave. She shut her eyes again, trying to fall back to sleep. Her attempt were in vain, however, as she opened again them in alert annoyance. She scratched her head, sitting up and glancing at the pink digital alarm clock on her bedside table. She said a curse word that she had heard Knuckles mutter in frustration a few days previously. Saying it made her feel older, and somehow more mature. In glowing red letters, it showed that it was nearly noon. She hurriedly got out of bed, and threw her clothes on. She recalled telling Cream that she would be over to deliver the stuffy near noon. As she rushed to leave, brushing her teeth and combing her teeth at the same time, she snatched up Cream. The air outside was comfortably warm, but extremely humid. She jogged at a brisk pace to the home of her stuffie's new home. On arrival, she raised her hand to knock on the door, and it opened the instant her knuckles making contact on the wood. Cream stood, beaming in the doorway.

"Good morning, Amy." Cream said politely, though Amy could the excitement through the bunny's well-trained outer shell of etiquette.

"Morning." Amy replied, grinning. "Here you go… she's all yours."

Cream's eyes widened as she gingerly took the stuffed rabbit in her arms as gently as if it was a premature baby. She cradled it in her arms as Vanilla walked up from behind her.

"Oh, Amy!" She gasped. "It's Cream!"

Amy nodded, feeling herself going red.

"I made it for her last night."

"She's beautiful!" Vanilla said warmly, gently pulling the entranced Cream from the doorframe. "Please, come in for lunch."

Both rabbits walked into the house. Smelling a wonderful aroma from inside, Amy followed obediently. The kitchen was warm and cozy, with a colour scheme that reminded her of something delicious. The oak table held two plates and bowls, one of each smaller than the other. Each bowl was filled generously with steaming carrot soup. The plates were laden with several dainty cucumber sandwiches.

"It looks delicious, Vanilla." Amy said, not remembering the last proper home-cooked meal she had been lucky enough to eat.

"Why, thank you. Cream made the dessert herself." Vanilla said with a smile, gesturing to a fancy-looking strawberry cheesecake on the counter.

"Wow, Cream! I had no idea you cooked!" Amy said, awestruck that a five-year-old had created such a professional-looking cake. Cream went beat red, and clasped her hands behind her back.

"Only a little."

"Well it looks awesome."

"Thank you." Cream said, staring fixedly at her shoes.

"Please," Vanilla said, placing a third bowl and plate on the bowl. "Have a seat."

Cream and Amy sat eagerly in unison, both of their gazes fixed upon their meals. Vanilla also sat and handed out cutlery to the two hungry girls. Just as they were about to dig into the food, Cream with a spoonful of soup, And Amy with a sandwich triangle in her hands, there was a knock on the door.

"Don't worry girls… you can keep eating." Vanilla said standing up. "I'll get it."

She left Amy and Cream to their lunch.

"I wonder who's there." Cream said curiously, sipping her milk glass. Amy only shrugged, her mouth full of bread. A few silent moments later, Vanilla returned with Sonic following her. Amy's heart skipped a beat, and she began to cough violently on a spoonful of soup. She covered her mouth with a hand, trying to pass the fit off as clearing her throat.

"Hi Cream, hi Amy." Sonic said warmly, either not noticing or pretending to not notice Amy's embarrassing outburst.

"Oh!" Cream said happily, getting out of her chair to greet their guest. "Hello Mr. Sonic!"

She skipped over to him and hopped into his arms.

"Heh, hey Cream." He laughed, tossing the bunny into the air as if she was the stuffed one. She giggled and hopped back to her seat beside Amy. The pink hedgehog was just staring, completely entranced.

"Hey, Amy." Sonic said casually "How's it going?"

"Amy?" Asked Cream, waving a hand in front of her face. Amy blinked and smiled at Sonic.

"Hi." She didn't recognize the high pitched voice that came out of her own mouth. Sonic chuckled, and turned to Vanilla.

"So, do you want to tell them?"

"No," Vanilla said, shaking her head. "You go ahead."

Sonic nodded, and returned to face the girls at the table.

"Well," He began "It's Tails' birthday soon. He's gonna be seven, so Knuckles and I've been planning a huge party for him. Everyone's invited, too."

"Oh, how exciting!" Cream squealed "Can we go, mother? Please?"

Vanilla laughed, and patted Cream's head.

"Of course we can."

"Awesome." Sonic said, scribbling something on a black clipboard in his hands. "How about you, Amy?"

She was caught off-guard. When Sonic said 'everyone', she assumed that did not include a newcomer like herself. Her chest bubbled with excitement, but she managed to hide it and keep a casual voice.

"Sure. When is it?"

"Next Friday. The eighteenth."

Amy nodded and branded the date into her head with fiery red letters.; she would never let herself live it down should she forget.

"Alright…" He said, clearing his throught. "Bye ladies."

He left them with a smile that set Amy's heart beating at double speed.

"I like Tails." Cream said thoughtfully, nibbling at her sandwich. "He's nice. What are you going to get him for a gift?"

Amy frowned and shrugged. She had not thought about a gift. Cream jumped up with wide eyes.

"Oh! I know!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Make him a stuffy! Like mine!"

"I don't know, Cream…" Amy said nervously. "I still don't think I'm good enough to make anything really nice."

"Nonsense." Vanilla said, taking a seat at the table again. "The one you made for Cream looked just like her. And if you want, I can give you some nice, soft stuffing instead of the rice."

Before Amy could protest, Cream leapt out of her seat, and dashed out of the room. She returned a moment later with a huge clear plastic bag filled with fluffy white cotton stuffing nearly the same size as her. The little bunny placed the bag beside Amy's chair.

"And you can collect any material you want from the sewing room to make him."

"Well…" Amy said as images of cutting patterns and textures filled her head. "I suppose so."

"Great!" Cream squealed, jumping back to her feet once again. She snatched Amy's hand and pulled her out of the kitchen, also dragging the bag of stuffing.

"Alright!" Amy laughed, as she regained ownership of her hand. The girls entered the sewing room and Cream instantly began pulling boxes off shelves. The first box they dove into contained nothing of interest, so they pushed it aside. The second box appeared nearly as fruitless as the first, but Cream noticed a pair of beautiful turquoise-blue glass beads. Amy carefully placed them together on the far corner of the table where they would not be bumped off. Few more boxes, they found nothing that reminded them of Tails. Finally, Amy noticed a soft plush material in a perfect shade of yellow-orange.

"That's him!" Cream said happily, stroking the wonderfully soft cloth. Amy smiled wordlessly, returning to the next box. They silently went through a few more, before finding a matching material in white.

"I think that's about it." Amy said, scanning her pallet. Cream placed a black glass nose on top of the pile.

"There." She said with a smile. Amy pushed her materials into the stuffing bag and stood up.

"Well, I should get going. Say goodbye to your mother for me."

"Bye Amy! Good luck."

"Thanks! See you."

Amy left Cream with a friendly hug, carrying the bag which was surprisingly considering its contents. It had cooled down slightly outside, and the sky was overcast and grey. She dragged it up the steps of her house, and inside. She plopped onto the couch lazily, resting her head back. It was four-thirty, but she was feeling strangely tired. It was Thursday, which placed the party eight days away. She decided there was no rush in making the gift, but refused to procrastinate. Therefore, she found a happy medium drawing out a pattern on some of the blue paper which had come in her sewing kit. Tails' design was fairly simple, although Amy took a while trying to remember all of his features, as she had met him only a few times. After half an hour, she was happy with her design and placed it aside. There was a light knock on the door, and Amy hopped up to get it, curious who it could be. She peeked through the peep hole, and her heard skipped a beat. Sonic stood there, looking slightly worried. Amy clasped her hands, and slid down the door until she was sitting on the carpet with both hands on her chest. There was another knock, and she quickly jumped to her feet and fumbled with the doorknob. When she finally opened the door, she gave Sonic her most charmingly casual smile.

"Hey." She said in an amateur attempt at composedness.

"Hi, Amy." Sonic answered. He captured her goal of cool charm perfectly.

"Err… You want to come in?"

"Sure." He said with a smile, entering the house. "Thanks."

"Can I get you a drink… or anything?"

"No, thanks." Sonic said, taking a seat on the couch. "I just came to ask you if you're alright."

Amy furrowed her brow and cocked her head.

"Well it's just…" He continued, still sounding concerned "You looked a bit anxious. At Cream's house, I mean."

Amy blushed. Had her daydreaming been that obvious?

"Just a little tired."

He smiled unsurely.

"Alright…" he said without moving, staring at Amy as if waiting for her to say something.

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

"I know it's probably hard to be somewhere new, where you don't really know anyone. But I just want you to know that you can…" he cleared his throat, apparently uncomfortable with his next few words. "Talk to me… or whatever."

Amy felt a surge of affection toward the blue hedgehog, and smiled shyly at him, slightly embarrassed.

"Thanks."

For a moment, both were silent. Sonic smiled, and got to his feet.

"Well… See you next Friday then."

"Yeah. See you." She said breathlessly, watching the back of his head as he left.

Amy awoke to birds chirping loudly early Friday morning. She groaned and pulled a pillow over her head in an attempt to drown out the sound. He attempt was in vain, however, because her ears still rang with their rudely obnoxious tweeting. Rubbing her eyes, she rolled out of bed with a yawn and pulled on her clothes.

"Seven more days" she whispered to her Sonic, caressing his face.

Not yet hungry for breakfast, she set to work on the Tails toy first thing in the morning. Today, she cut the material according to her pattern for his head. When she finished with the head, she was beginning to get hungry.

As bacon sizzled merrily in the pan, Amy hummed a cheerful song and danced with invisible partners. She cracked and egg into a second pan, and poured the bacon onto a paper towel. She grabbed a plate, and scooped up a few pieces for breakfast. When the egg was finished, she plopped it onto her plate beside the bacon. For a moment, she held the highest note she could muster, then took a seat at the table with her meal. After finishing breakfast, she returned to work.

On Tuesday, Amy decided to practice her sewing by making dozens of miniature Sonics. After she had fabricated nearly two dozen, she placed them in a neat little pile on the table. By Thursday, Amy had completed the stuffy. Tails was, by far, the most professional-looking on yet. He had a realistic smile on his face, and three beautiful tufts for tails. His glass eyes looked cheerful and alive. The seams were flawless, and the material was soft and fluffy. Amy peeked up at the clock on the wall with a jolt of excitement. Though it was nearly midnight, she was wide a wake and nervous about the next day's party. She grabbed the festive bag she had purchased especially for the occasion and placed Tails inside, careful not to put his tails at a funny angle and kink them. She wanted the gift to be completely flawless. Knowing she should get some rest, Amy placed the bag on the table and made her way to bed, even placing neat little curlers in her quills for the next day. She took extra care washing her face and brushing her teeth before going to bed.

The beeping alarm clock woke her early as planned. She got out of bed, feeling completely awake and excited. She fiddled with her thumbs as she dressed in front of the mirror. She had a new scarlet dress. It was long and formfitting, flowing down past her new ballet flat shoes. She took the curlers out happily, pleased about the neat little ringlets which had formed. She tied a red ribbon in the back, completing her look. She scanned herself in the mirror on last time, then made her way to the kitchen, her quills bouncing behind her. She picked up the gift and began to add the details; some tissue paper and curled ribbons completed the beautiful arrangement. She was afraid to move too much and loosen her quills. The party started at noon, but it was only ten after nine. Amy sighed, trying to think of something she could do to pass the time. She eventually decided to pay Cream a visit. Amy was extremely grateful that there was nearly no wind to ruin her hair. When she reached the house with the gift in one hand, she knocked lightly on the door, careful not to smudge her new white gloves. Vanilla answered the knocking after a few minutes, looking uncharacteristically flustered. One ear was dangling over her right eye.

"Sorry, Amy" She said, pushing her ear back to its usual spot. "I was just helping Cream get ready. Please, come in."

She led Amy to a sitting room, where she asked the hedgehog to wait a moment.

"Cream will be down in a moment." She said, leaving.

Cream returned a few minutes later, Cream entered the room with a huge smile on her face.

"Wow, Cream!" Amy said happily, "You look great."

Cream was clad in a fancy new dress, the usual shade of orange. It, like Amy's, stretched past its owner's fee. Cream's, however, had a large bell skirt and was embroidered with a detailed design of flowers. She was blushing.

"Thank you. You look really pretty, too. Can I see the Tails doll, please?" She asked shyly, gesturing to the gift bag at Amy's feet. Amy gave her a sly smile.

"You'll have to wait just like everyone else."

"I can't wait." Cream giggled, craning her neck to peek into the bag as Amy pushed it aside.

"What did you get him?"

Amy pointed to a thin, square gift wrapped in yellow paper. It was topped of with an elaborate bow made of dozens of little ribbons.

"I made him a picture frame… With a picture of all of us in it." She paused, then eyed the floor. "I'm sorry you're not in it. It was taken before you came."

"Don't worry about it." Amy said, though she couldn't help but feel a tad upset about this glaring reminder that she was still virtually an outcast.

"Girls!" Vanilla called in a singsong voice "Come and have a snack before you go."

"Yes, Mother." Cream called back, getting to her feet. The two girls made their way to the kitchen, talking casually. The table was laden with three glasses of iced tea and matching plates of vegetables, with their contents making a design of a birthday cake. Amy laughed as she took a seat.

"This looks great. Thanks, Vanilla."

"Thank you, Mother!" Cream said with a smile, biting into a green been candle.

"Any time, my dears." Vanilla said, leaving the room. "But I must get dressed myself."

Vanilla's voice echoed in Amy's head as she smiled fondly.

'_my dears'_

Despite the offhandedness in Vanilla's voice, Amy still felt extremely proud that she had become friends enough with Cream and her mother to be on a"my dear" basis.

The girls munched their vegetables until both plates were empty. Vanilla returned looking radiant in a long, brown skirt and white blouse.

"You look really nice, Mother." Cream said, collecting Amy's plate and her own and placing them beside the sink.

"Thank you very much, Cream." She said, smiling. She turned to look at the clock on the stove. "But we should really get going. It's nearly half after eleven."

Both girls leapt out of their chairs, eager to attend the party.

"I'll go get the presents!" Cream squealed, skipping to the sitting room as Vanilla and Amy made their way to the entrance way. The little bunny arrived a moment later with one gifts in each hand.

"Ready to go?" She asked merrily, checking the velcro on her shoes. Amy nodded, and the three departed on their walk to Tails' home. Upon arrival, they saw several individuals decorating the outside of the house. There were bright streamers and balloons bordering the doorway, and the garden was adorned with flashy knickknacks. Cream skipped ahead of Amy and Vanilla, hopping onto Sonic's back with a giggle.

"Hello, Mr. Sonic!"

"Why, hello Miss Cream." He replied with a laugh, running in a quick circle. Cream was laughing her head off when he placed her gently on her feet, holding her steady until she regained her balance. Cream hopped away to say a similar hello to the other guests. Vanilla and Amy were also greeted first by Sonic.

"Hello, Vanilla. Hey Amy." He said with a grin, taking the gifts to put inside. They spent a moment taking in the decoration, then followed him through the huge doors. Inside was decorated even more impressively. There was a mountainous pile of gifts in one corner, below a huge gold 'Happy Birthday' banner stretched across the wall. As more and more individuals arrived, the workshop became more and more crowded. Amy was amazed that one seven-year-old could know this many people, let alone have such a staggering amount of friends. She wondered if this was normal, and she had simply been a reject her entire life. From the few times Amy had met him, Tails had not seemed like much of a social butterfly. In fact, he had been quite shy and resigned. Amy had a feeling that Tails was not the person who wrote the guest list, as she noticed him receiving congratulations from a tall lady fox- who appeared to be at least sixteen- with an awkward smile on his face. Feeling sorry for him, Amy made her way through the crowd, dodging several boys playing an open game of tackle football.

"Hi, Tails." She finally said breathlessly as she reached him. She was petrified that he would give her the same uncomfortable smile that he had given the tall fox. To her relief, he gave her what she believed to be a sincere grin.

"Oh, I'm glad it's you, Amy." He said, sounding nearly as worn-out as her.

"Do you know all these people?"

The sour look on his face made her instantly regret asking. He glared at Knuckles for a split second, but soon returned to his usual cheerful face.

"Only about fifteen of them." He said, shaking his head. "Knuckles decided the rest of the guest list."

"Well at least everyone's having a good time…" Amy said, trying to cheer Tails up. She hastily scooted a few steps to the right to hide a girl with tears running down her face slapping a boy sitting on one of the couches. Tails smiled at her, but his eyes widened after a second and he let out a yelp. Amy turned just enough to see a football whizzing straight in their direction. Before she could move, the ball collided with the side of her head. Just as the world began to fog over, she heard a deep voice call "Heads up!" from somewhere which sounded miles away.

* * *

Sonic was sitting on her bed, his glass eyes alive and loving. The room was completely black. Another Sonic appeared next to him with a dull pop, then two more. They were multiplying at such a rate that Amy was soon drowning in plush.

"We've been to see Tails." They said in unison, and all eyes became suddenly furious. Amy didn't know what to say. Together, their voices made a droning hum which was difficult to understand.

"You think he's better than us?" they demanded. "Why are we stuck with this damn rice when he gets fluff like that?"

Amy wanted to defend herself, but she seemed to be inexplicably mute. She hated their cold glares which were almost physically painful. She had a dull ach in the back of her head.

"Amy…" This time, their voices were much softer and kinder, and the popping began again. Amy could tell that some of the Sonics farthest away were disappearing.

"Amy…" The humming was becoming much less overbearing, and she could now pick out the few voices calling her sweetly. Finally, there was only one Sonic left.

"Amy." The pink hedgehog stumbled towards him, squinting.

"Sonic?" She tried to say. There was something strangely muffled and nasally about her voice.

"Amy!" he replied, a smile on his face. Amy realized that the eyes of this Sonic were real. She blinked, and the blackness began to fade away to a pattern of soft pink roses on an off-white background that she recognized as the wallpaper of her living room.

"Sonic?" she said. This time, her voice, though thick from lack of use, was now properly amplified and much clearer.

"Oh. I'm so glad you're alright."

"I'm so sorry." She said, tears coming to her eyes. "I'm so sorry about the rice."

"Rice?" he said in confusion.

"I should've given you the nice stuffing."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, putting a hand on her forehead. She still wasn't completely in her right mind.

"Your doll. I'm sorry."

"Doll?"

"In the bedroom-" She froze, not wanting him to find it and be angry.

"Amy, I'm gonna bring you to bed to lie down." He said calmly, and Amy felt him brush a quill out of her face. She wondered if they were still curled and beautiful.

"No!" She protested, but remained still as lifted her in his arms. He walked into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. She looked at his face in concern, waiting to see the look of fury which was certain to appear. Amy tried to shift in front of her hidden treasure, but Sonic snatched it up. He raised an eyebrow.

"What's this?"

Amy avoided his eyes, and mumbled something unintelligible. Sonic held her cheeks in one hand and directed her gaze strait into his.

"Amy?"

"Please don't be mad about the rice." she sobbed.

"What do you mean? You're talking about rice again."

Amy was beginning to feel much more alert, and blinked. She realized that she had not been completely aware the last few minutes.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, sitting up. This sent a painful ache up the back of her neck.

"It's me, isn't it." He said softly.

She nodded, staring at the floor. Sonic gave her a blank look, then left the room without a word. Amy was left alone with her thoughts. She was dreading how he would react upon return, should he choose to not leave her alone in the house. She reached the clock on her bedside table, turning on the radio and tuning it until she could hear nothing but white noise. She concentrated only on the buzzing until she could hardly remember her situation. After what felt like hours, he rendered the room with both fist full of the small Sonics. He unplugged the clock.

"Are you mad?" Amy breathed as he took a seat beside her. He placed them beside their larger sibling. Completely out of the blue, he grabbed her hands in his.

"You know what, Amy?" He said quietly, lifting the large stuffed Sonic and putting its hands in Amy's.

"I think they're kind of cute."

Sonic was gazing at the many replicas of himself.

"Me too." Amy said quietly, sneaking a long stare at the one and only original.

* * *

**A/N: **Teehee. So sorry… I'm never any good at endings xD! Also sorry for how long it took to write this… I've been pretty busy. Not to mention my silly computer doesn't like to cooperate… it's been freezing up and restarting… and we lost internet for a few days. But I really hope you liked it :) Thanks for reading, and please review :)

Thanks!!

--LA


End file.
